Receive the latest national-international updates in your inbox

Mysterious White Powder Sent to Wife of Trump Jr

An envelope containing a nonharmful white powder addressed to Donald Trump Jr. was sent to a Manhattan apartment building unit that belongs to Trump Jr.'s wife, Vanessa, the president's daughter-in-law, on Monday, authorities say. Marc Santia reports.

(Published Monday, Feb. 12, 2018)

An envelope containing a nonharmful white powder addressed to Donald Trump Jr. was sent to a Manhattan apartment building unit that belongs to Trump Jr.'s wife, Vanessa, the president's daughter-in-law, on Monday, authorities say.

The powder -- which appears to be corn starch -- was mailed to the East 54th Street apartment and was being taken to a lab in the city for futher analysis, according to law enforcement officials. It's not clear who sent the envelope but it was postmarked from Boston, according to a senior law enforcement official.

Vanessa Trump, 40, opened the letter Monday morning and was decontaminated at the scene as a precaution, according to a senior official with knowledge of the investigation. She called 911 to report coughing and nausea.

Vanessa Trump was taken to a hospital for observation, also strictly as a precaution, according to three senior officials. Sources initially said two other people were taken to hospitals. There's no indication anyone was hurt.

On Monday evening, Vanessa Trump tweeted "Thank you so much for all the help today in NYC! I appreciate all the quick response to make sure that I was safe ! Thank you @FDNY @SecretService @NYPDnews @NYPDCT @NewYorkFBI."

Donald Trump Jr., meanwhile, tweeted Monday afternoon, "Thankful that Vanessa & my children are safe and unharmed after the incredibly scary situation that occurred this morning. Truly disgusting that certain individuals choose to express their opposing views with such disturbing behavior."

Ivanka Trump also tweeted that she was thinking of her sister-in-law and wishing she were by her side: "No one deserves to be frightened this way. There is no excuse."

The president, meanwhile, hasn't commented on the episode. But white House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that he had spoken to her on the phone.

Michael Cohen, one of the president's personal attorneys, said in a statement, "How disturbed must a person be to do what they did to a mother of five young children? This dangerous and reckless act goes beyond political differences."

The FDNY responded to a call about a suspicious susbstance at the building shortly after 10 a.m.; the nature of the powder wasn't immediately clear, though it appears to be corn starch. Lab test results are expected back Tuesday morning.

It wasn't immediately clear if there was a written note in the accompanying envelope.

Police and other emergency units remained on the scene Monday afternoon as NYPD intelligence detectives and Secret Service agents investigated. The area was shut down for a time but had reopened by about 2 p.m.

“The Secret Service and our law enforcement partners in New York City are investigating a suspicious package addressed to one of our protectees received today in New York, New York," the agency said in a statement. "This is an active investigation and we cannot comment any further.”

Trump Jr. married Vanessa Trump, formerly Vanessa Kay Haydon, in November 2005 at Mara-a-Lago. Trump Jr.'s aunt officiated. The couple has five children; none of the kids were home at the time of the incident.

In March 2016, police detectives and FBI agents investigated a threatening letter sent to the Manhattan apartment of Donald Trump Jr.'s brother, Eric, that also contained a white powder that turned out to be harmless. Envelopes containing white powder were also sent to Trump Tower, which served as Trump's campaign headquarters, twice in 2016.The Latest from Pyeongchang: